This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-210871 and 11-210904 filed Jul. 26, 1999 and 11-375834 filed Dec. 28, 1999; the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a paper collating apparatus for stacking a plurality of types of paper sheets in a predetermined order and for discharging them as a collated matter. The present invention relates, in particular, to alternately offsetting collated matters sequentially discharged and stacking them on a paper discharge tray.
A collating apparatus which the present inventor assumed as a study target will be described.
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the collating apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the neighborhood of a stacker section of the collating apparatus. The collating apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with (1) a plurality of paper feed trays 70a to 70j which are vertically arranged, (2) a paper feed section 71 conveying many sheets 72 stacked on the respective paper feed trays 70a to 70j one by one at predetermined timing, (3) a collating and conveying section (not shown) collating the plural sheets 72 conveyed from the respective paper feed trays 70a to 70j of the paper feed section 71 to provide collated matters 73 (shown in FIG. 3B) and conveying the collated matters 73 to a discharge section 74, (4) the discharge section 74 discharging the collated matters 73 conveyed from the collating and conveying section (not shown), and (5) a stacker section 75 stacking the collated matters 73 discharged from the discharge section 74.
The stacker section 75 has (1) a paper discharge tray 76 provided at the falling position of the collated matters 73 discharged from the discharge section 74, and (2) a pair of side fences 77 and 78 positioned on both outer sides of the collated matters 73 discharged onto the paper discharge tray 76 and restricting an orthogonal direction to the discharge direction of the collated matters 73. The widths of paired side fences 77 and 78 are variable according to the width of the sheets 72 to be collated. Also, the stacker section 75 is provided with sorting means 79. This sorting means 79 consists of (1) a fixed base tray 76a, (2) a movable paper discharge tray 76b horizontally movable on the fixed base tray 76a, and (3) a driving unit (not shown) applying a driving force to horizontally move the movable paper discharge tray 76b. 
With the above configuration, many sheets 72 sorted according to paper types are stacked on, for example, the uppermost paper feed table 70a to the lowermost paper feed table 70j, respectively. One unit of a collated matter 73 obtained by stacking sheets in the vertical order of these paper feed trays 70a to 70j will be described. When a start mode is selected, respective sheets 72 from the uppermost paper feed tray 70a to the lowermost paper feed tray 70j are sequentially conveyed with predetermined timing delays. The conveyed sheets 72 are collated by a collating and conveying section (not shown) to thereby provide collated matters 73. The resultant collated matters 73 are discharged to the stacker section 75 through the discharge section 74. By executing the series of operations continuously, many collated matters of paper sheets 72 are stacked on the stacker section 75.
In a normal mode, the movable paper discharge tray 76b is not moved and, as shown in FIG. 3A, the units of collated matters 73 are stacked without being horizontally offset.
In a sort mode, on the other hand, the movable paper discharge tray 76b is moved horizontally in synchronization with the discharge timing of the sheets from the discharge section 74 and, as shown in FIG. 3B, collated matters 73 are horizontally offset and stacked according to units. The sort mode is convenient for sorting sheets in units of collated matters 73.
However, the sorting means 79 of the collating apparatus has a disadvantage in that heavy load is applied to a motor (not shown) serving as a driving source due to the movement of the movable paper discharge tray 76b itself onto which the sheets 72 are stacked. The moving load particularly increases proportionately with the quantity of sheets 72 to be stacked. In view of this, it is required to prepare a heavy load motor.
Furthermore, it is required to provide the movable paper discharge tray 76b with notch holes 80 so as to avoid interference of the side fences 77 with the sheets. It is, therefore, necessary for an operator to take care not to insert his or her fingers or the like into the notch holes 80.
The present invention has been made after the above-stated consideration and study. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a collating apparatus which can reduce the load on a driving source used in sorting and which can ensure safety in operation.
A collating apparatus according to the present invention comprises (1) a plurality of paper feed trays; (2) a paper feed section for conveying a plurality of sheets stacked on the plurality of paper feed trays one by one at predetermined timing; (3) a collating and conveying section for collating the plurality of sheets conveyed from the respective paper feed trays of the paper feed section to provide collated matters and for conveying the collated matters to a discharge section; (4) the discharge section for discharging the collated matters conveyed from the collating and conveying section to a stacker section; and (5) the stacker section provided with a paper discharge tray for stacking the collated matters conveyed from the discharge section, provided with a pair of side fences positioned at both outer sides of the collated matters discharged onto the paper discharge tray and restricting an orthogonal direction to a discharge direction of the collated matters, and having sorting means for alternately offsetting the collated matters sequentially discharged from the discharge section to the orthogonal direction to the discharge direction and for stacking the collated matters on the paper discharge tray, and the storing means wherein
the sorting means has a paper discharge wing, displaced between a wait position at which the paper discharge wing does not interfere with the collated matters discharged from the discharge section and an interference position at which the paper discharge wing interferes with the collated matters discharged from the discharge section to offset the discharge direction of the collated matters to almost the orthogonal direction to the discharge direction, and moves the paper discharge wing between the wait position and the interference position alternately in accordance with discharge timing at which the collated matters are discharged from the discharge section, thereby sorting the collated matters.